Consumer Product Safety Commission October 2005 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Commission is considering whether there may be unreasonable risks of injury and death associated with some all terrain vehicles (``ATVs''). The Commission is considering what actions, both regulatory and non-regulatory, it could take to reduce ATV-related deaths and injuries. As described below, the Commission has had extensive involvement with ATVs since 1984. However, in recent years there has been a dramatic increase in both the numbers of ATVs in use and the numbers of ATV-related deaths and injuries. According to the Commission's 2004 annual report of ATV deaths and injuries (the most recent annual report issued by the Commission), on December 31, 2004, the Commission had reports of 6,494 ATV-related deaths that have occurred since 1982. Of these, 2,019 (31 percent of the total) were under age 16, and 845 (13 percent of the total) were under age 12. The 2004 annual report states that in 2004 alone, an estimated 129,500 four-wheel ATV-related injuries were treated in hospital emergency rooms nationwide. While this represents an increase in injuries in 2004 compared with 2003, the total number of four-wheel ATVs in use in the United States has increased and the estimated risk of injury per 10,000 four-wheel ATVs in use remained essentially level over the previous year. This advance notice of proposed rulemaking (``ANPR'') initiates a rulemaking proceeding under the Consumer Product Safety Act (``CPSA'') and the Federal Hazardous Substances Act (``FHSA'').\1\ However, the notice discusses a broad range of regulatory and non-regulatory alternatives that could be used to reduce ATV-related deaths and injuries. The Commission invites public comment on these alternatives and any other approaches that could reduce ATV-related deaths and injuries. The Commission also solicits written comments concerning the risks of injury associated with ATVs, ways these risks could be addressed, and the economic impacts of the various alternatives discussed. The Commission also invites interested persons to submit an existing standard, or a statement of intent to modify or develop a voluntary standard, to address the risk of injury described in this ANPR.

In the July 20, 2005 Federal Register (70 FR 41690), the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC or Commission) published a notice in accordance with provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35) (PRA), to announce the agency's intention to seek extension of its PRA approval of information collection requirements regarding the sound levels of toy caps pursuant to 16 CFR 1500.18(a)(5). The Commission now announces that it has submitted to the Office of Management and Budget a request for extension of approval of that collection of information. The Commission received no comments. The CPSC will use the information it obtains to monitor industry efforts to reduce the sound levels of toy caps, and to ascertain which firms are currently manufacturing or importing toy caps with peak sound levels between 138 and 158 decibels.